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32 Jacob poursuivit son chemin; et des anges de Dieu le rencontrèrent.

En les voyant, Jacob dit: C'est le camp de Dieu! Et il donna à ce lieu le nom de Mahanaïm.

Jacob envoya devant lui des messagers à Ésaü, son frère, au pays de Séir, dans le territoire d'Édom.

Il leur donna cet ordre: Voici ce que vous direz à mon seigneur Ésaü: Ainsi parle ton serviteur Jacob: J'ai séjourné chez Laban, et j'y suis resté jusqu'à présent;

j'ai des boeufs, des ânes, des brebis, des serviteurs et des servantes, et j'envoie l'annoncer à mon seigneur, pour trouver grâce à tes yeux.

Les messagers revinrent auprès de Jacob, en disant: Nous sommes allés vers ton frère Ésaü; et il marche à ta rencontre, avec quatre cents hommes.

Jacob fut très effrayé, et saisi d'angoisse. Il partagea en deux camps les gens qui étaient avec lui, les brebis, les boeufs et les chameaux;

et il dit: Si Ésaü vient contre l'un des camps et le bat, le camp qui restera pourra se sauver.

Jacob dit: Dieu de mon père Abraham, Dieu de mon père Isaac, Éternel, qui m'as dit: Retourne dans ton pays et dans ton lieu de naissance, et je te ferai du bien!

10 Je suis trop petit pour toutes les grâces et pour toute la fidélité dont tu as usé envers ton serviteur; car j'ai passé ce Jourdain avec mon bâton, et maintenant je forme deux camps.

11 Délivre-moi, je te prie, de la main de mon frère, de la main d'Ésaü! car je crains qu'il ne vienne, et qu'il ne me frappe, avec la mère et les enfants.

12 Et toi, tu as dit: Je te ferai du bien, et je rendrai ta postérité comme le sable de la mer, si abondant qu'on ne saurait le compter.

13 C'est dans ce lieu-là que Jacob passa la nuit. Il prit de ce qu'il avait sous la main, pour faire un présent à Ésaü, son frère:

14 deux cents chèvres et vingt boucs, deux cents brebis et vingt béliers,

15 trente femelles de chameaux avec leurs petits qu'elles allaitaient, quarante vaches et dix taureaux, vingt ânesses et dix ânes.

16 Il les remit à ses serviteurs, troupeau par troupeau séparément, et il dit à ses serviteurs: Passez devant moi, et mettez un intervalle entre chaque troupeau.

17 Il donna cet ordre au premier: Quand Ésaü, mon frère, te rencontrera, et te demandera: A qui es-tu? où vas-tu? et à qui appartient ce troupeau devant toi?

18 tu répondras: A ton serviteur Jacob; c'est un présent envoyé à mon seigneur Ésaü; et voici, il vient lui-même derrière nous.

19 Il donna le même ordre au second, au troisième, et à tous ceux qui suivaient les troupeaux: C'est ainsi que vous parlerez à mon seigneur Ésaü, quand vous le rencontrerez.

20 Vous direz: Voici, ton serviteur Jacob vient aussi derrière nous. Car il se disait: Je l'apaiserai par ce présent qui va devant moi; ensuite je le verrai en face, et peut-être m'accueillera-t-il favorablement.

21 Le présent passa devant lui; et il resta cette nuit-là dans le camp.

22 Il se leva la même nuit, prit ses deux femmes, ses deux servantes, et ses onze enfants, et passa le gué de Jabbok.

23 Il les prit, leur fit passer le torrent, et le fit passer à tout ce qui lui appartenait.

24 Jacob demeura seul. Alors un homme lutta avec lui jusqu'au lever de l'aurore.

25 Voyant qu'il ne pouvait le vaincre, cet homme le frappa à l'emboîture de la hanche; et l'emboîture de la hanche de Jacob se démit pendant qu'il luttait avec lui.

26 Il dit: Laisse-moi aller, car l'aurore se lève. Et Jacob répondit: Je ne te laisserai point aller, que tu ne m'aies béni.

27 Il lui dit: Quel est ton nom? Et il répondit: Jacob.

28 Il dit encore: ton nom ne sera plus Jacob, mais tu seras appelé Israël; car tu as lutté avec Dieu et avec des hommes, et tu as été vainqueur.

29 Jacob l'interrogea, en disant: Fais-moi je te prie, connaître ton nom. Il répondit: Pourquoi demandes-tu mon nom? Et il le bénit là.

30 Jacob appela ce lieu du nom de Peniel: car, dit-il, j'ai vu Dieu face à face, et mon âme a été sauvée.

31 Le soleil se levait, lorsqu'il passa Peniel. Jacob boitait de la hanche.

32 C'est pourquoi jusqu'à ce jour, les enfants d'Israël ne mangent point le tendon qui est à l'emboîture de la hanche; car Dieu frappa Jacob à l'emboîture de la hanche, au tendon.

Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau

32 [a]Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God(A) met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!”(B) So he named that place Mahanaim.[b](C)

Jacob sent messengers(D) ahead of him to his brother Esau(E) in the land of Seir,(F) the country of Edom.(G) He instructed them: “This is what you are to say to my lord(H) Esau: ‘Your servant(I) Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban(J) and have remained there till now. I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, male and female servants.(K) Now I am sending this message to my lord,(L) that I may find favor in your eyes.(M)’”

When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”(N)

In great fear(O) and distress(P) Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups,[c](Q) and the flocks and herds and camels as well. He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one group,[d] the group[e] that is left may escape.”

Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham,(R) God of my father Isaac,(S) Lord, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’(T) 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness(U) you have shown your servant. I had only my staff(V) when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps.(W) 11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid(X) he will come and attack me,(Y) and also the mothers with their children.(Z) 12 But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand(AA) of the sea, which cannot be counted.(AB)’”

13 He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift(AC) for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,(AD) 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.(AE) 16 He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds.”(AF)

17 He instructed the one in the lead: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ 18 then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant(AG) Jacob. They are a gift(AH) sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’”

19 He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: “You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 20 And be sure to say, ‘Your servant(AI) Jacob is coming behind us.’” For he thought, “I will pacify him with these gifts(AJ) I am sending on ahead;(AK) later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me.”(AL) 21 So Jacob’s gifts(AM) went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp.

Jacob Wrestles With God

22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons(AN) and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.(AO) 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions.(AP) 24 So Jacob was left alone,(AQ) and a man(AR) wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip(AS) so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”(AT)

27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,”(AU) he answered.

28 Then the man said, “Your name(AV) will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[f](AW) because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”(AX)

29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”(AY)

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?”(AZ) Then he blessed(BA) him there.

30 So Jacob called the place Peniel,[g] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face,(BB) and yet my life was spared.”

31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel,[h](BC) and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip,(BD) because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 32:1 In Hebrew texts 32:1-32 is numbered 32:2-33.
  2. Genesis 32:2 Mahanaim means two camps.
  3. Genesis 32:7 Or camps
  4. Genesis 32:8 Or camp
  5. Genesis 32:8 Or camp
  6. Genesis 32:28 Israel probably means he struggles with God.
  7. Genesis 32:30 Peniel means face of God.
  8. Genesis 32:31 Hebrew Penuel, a variant of Peniel

Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau

32 Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God’s camp.” So he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. He commanded them, saying, “This is what you must say to my lord Esau: This is what your servant Jacob says, ‘I have sojourned with Laban and stayed there until now. I have oxen and donkeys, flocks, and male servants and female servants, and I am sending this message to tell my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.’ ”

The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you, and what is more, four hundred men are with him.”

Then Jacob was very afraid and distressed, and he divided the people that were with him, along with the flocks and herds and the camels, into two groups. He said, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the other camp which is left may escape.”

And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,’ 10 I am not worthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant. For with my staff I crossed over this Jordan, and now I have become two encampments. 11 Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau. For I fear him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children. 12 You said, ‘I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too many to be counted.’ ”

13 So he spent the night there. Then he selected from what he had with him a gift for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty female camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 He gave them to his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and keep a distance between each drove.”

17 He commanded the one leading, saying, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and to whom do these animals belong?’ 18 then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau, and he is also behind us.’ ”

19 Likewise he commanded the second and the third and all that followed the droves, saying, “This is what you are to say to Esau when you find him. 20 Moreover, say, ‘Your servant Jacob is behind us.’ ” For he said, “I will appease him with the gift that goes before me, and then I will see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.” 21 So the gift went before him, but he lodged that night in the encampment.

Jacob Wrestles With God

22 The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream along with all that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him there until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that He did not prevail against Jacob, He touched the socket of his thigh, so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated, as he wrestled with Him. 26 Then He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.”

But Jacob said, “I will not let You go, unless You bless me.”

27 So He said to him, “What is your name?”

And he said, “Jacob.”

28 Then the man said, “Your name will no more be called Jacob, but Israel. For you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

29 Then Jacob asked Him, “Tell me, I pray You, Your name.”

But He said, “Why do you ask Me My name?” Then He blessed him there.

30 Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “I have seen God face to face, and my life has been preserved.”

31 As he crossed over Peniel, the sun rose over him, and he was limping on his thigh. 32 Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the sinew which is attached to the socket of the thigh, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.